Power-brake mechanism.



PATENTED FEB. 20 1906. G. BVGOODB. POWER BRAKE MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 4, 190 5. RENEWED NOV. 11, 1906.

2 SHEETP-SHBBT 1 Maw PATENTED FEB. 20, 19 06.

O. B GOODE. POWER BRAKE MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 4, 1905.RENEWED NOV. 11, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

[/3 we M ad alt plted for use on automobiles.

srarns PATENT OFFICE CURTIS BATES GOODE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS. PQWERBRAKE ME GHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 20,1906.

Application filed January 4;, 1905. Renewed November 11, 1905. SerialNo. 286,836.

like characters on the drawings representing like parts. v

This invention relates to a fluid-brake for vehicles, which isespecially designed and e invention has for its object to provideasimple, efficient, and comparatively inexpensive power-brake' for useon automobiles and like vehicles. For-this purpose I employ acompressor, such as an air-pump, which may be connected directly orindirectly with a shaft or axle of the vehicle, such as the rear axleofan automobile, and provide means for controlling the accumulation. ofpressure and connect said compressor with a reservoir into which saidcompressor discharges and pro vide means for controlling communicationbetween said compressor and reservoir,which is operated from. the shaftor axle so as to admit compressed fluid from the reservoir into theconzpressor to obtain an initial rise in ressure in said compressor,whereby a powerbrake of maximum efficiency may be obtained. 1

Provision is made for stopping the vehicle gradually or substantially inan instant, as willbe described. I

These and other features of this invention will be pointed out in theclaims at the end of this specification.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of one form of automobile provided with afluid-brake em- 'bodying this invention; Fig. 2, a detail inlongitudinal section of the cylinder and valve shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3,a detail in end elevation and cross-section of the cylinder and valveshown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 4, a diagram to be referred to.

Referring to the drawings, a represents an automobile vehicle of anysuitable or usual construction, which is provided with a fluidbrakeembodying this invention. In the present instance the power-brakecomprises a compressor consisting of acylinder c, a piston cl, havingits piston-rod 6 connected to a crankon a shaft 9, a slide-valveh,'located within a valve-chest and having its valverod connected with acrank is on the shaft g,

which crank 79 is set at about ninety degrees to the crank f, and areservoir m, which is connected by the pipe n with theoutlet-port of thevalve-chest i and is provided with an exhaust-pipe 0. The crank-shaft gis supported in suitable bearings p, hung from the ve- I hicle a, and isadapted to be connected with the rear axle 10 of the said vehicle, whichconnection may and preferably will be effected as will be described. Forthis purpose-the or ink-shaft ghas keyed toit to rotate there- J withand slide thereon a friction-clutch member 13, which cooperates with aclutch mem ber 14, fast on a shaft 15, provided with a bevel-gear 16,which meshes with a bevelgear 17 on the axle 10.

- The friction member 13 is adapted to be engaged witli anddisengagedfrom the member 1-1 by a lever 20, pivoted to a hanger orbracket 21 and connected by a link22with a lever 23, adapted to be movedin one direce tion to'couple the frictionmember 13 with the member letby the foot of the operator andto be moved in the opposite direction.-by a spring 25, connected with the lever 23.

The exhaust-pipe 0 from the compressor m may be connected with theinlet-port of a valve-casing 30, attached to the baring-tube 31 for thesteering-shaft 32 and having its outlet-port communicating with anexhaustpipe 33, which leads below the bottom of the vehicle-body anddischarges into the atmosphere or it may be into the usual mufiler. (Notshown.) The ipe n, connecting the reservoir with the va vc-chest i, maybe provided with a prop or check valve 36 of any suitable constructionand also with a handoperated valve 37, which is providedwith a crank orhandle 38, connected by a linkr39 with a hand-lever 40, located near thedrivers seat 41.

The reservoir m, if desired, may also be provided with a safety-valve 12of any suitable construction. The valve-casing 30 is provided with avalve 45, which is rovided with a handle 46, by means offwhic 1 theexhaust from the reservoir to the atmosphere may be closed or opened to.any desired extent.

In practice the eXhaust-valve'45 may be normally wide open and thefriction-clutch uncoupled. When it is desired to stopthe vehicle by thepower br a ke, the operator presses his foot upon the lever 23 and movesthe fr'ictiomclutch memberJB into enga ement with the friction memberHand wholly or partially closes the exhaust-valve 45. As soon as thefriction-clutch is operated the crank-shaft g is connected with thedrivingshaft or axle 10 and is rotated therefrom.

The rotation of the crank-shaft g eflects rcciprocation of the piston dand valve h and air is drawn into the com" ressor through the inlet-pipeand is force out therefrom under pressure through the pipe 7i intothereservoir m, the valve 37 being in its 'openedpo,

sition and thecheck or-pop valve 36 being automatically 0 ened by theressure'of air and 'automatica ly closed in t e usual mannor to shut offthe escape of pressurefrom the reservoir back into the valve-chest. Aslong as the exhaust-valve 45 is closed the air is accumulated underpressure in the reservoir m and offers a resistance to the movement ofthe piston d, thereby placing a brake or drag on the rotation of thecrank-shaft g and its driving shaft-namely, the axle 10which resistanceincreases until the rotation of the axle or shaft 10 is arrested. Theapplication of the resistance due to the accumulated pressure may beregulated or controlled by opening the exhaust-valve 45 more or less.

When the exhaust-valve 45 is Wide open, the compressor may be driven bythe rear axle without any braking effect on the vehicle, and under thesecircumstances the crankshaftg may be connected with'the rear axle whilethe vehicle is in motion, if so desired.

-If it is desired to stop 'the vehicle, the exhaustshe 45 may be closedgradually, with the result that the air-pressure gradually increases inthe reservoir and offers an accumulated resistance to the rotation ofthe crank-shaft g and to the rear axle or drivingshaft thereby graduallydiminishing the speed of the vehicle. I

The resistance of the accumulated pres sure reaches the maximum .soonafter the exhaust-valve is closed, and this maximum resistance issufficient to bring the vehicle'to a dead stop. If it is desired toapply the brake very gradually, the clutch member 13 may 7 be graduallybrought into engagement with the clutch member 14 by operating thefootlever 23, and simultaneously the exhaust:

valve may be gradually closed. If it is de* sired to bring the vehicleto a quick or sud-' den stop, the lever 40 is o erated to close thepassage in the pipe at an the exhaust-valve is closed, thereby bringinthe air-pressure to the maximum substantiafiy in an instant and Ieffecting the stopping of the vehicle substantially in an instant. Theclosing of the valve 37 disconnects the reservoir m from the compressor,and while I may prefer to use the reservoir'mit might be dispensed with,in which case the pipe n and valve-chest '11 would serve as a reservoirof smaller capacity and would communicate with the atmosphere and thevalve 37 would become the exhaust-valve,by

manipulating which the stopping 'of the vehimay be termed the startingcycle, is rep resented by the letters A E F G F H A,-and the other,termed the full-working cycle, is represented by the letters A C D F G FH A. In the working cycle the curve A C is due to the rise in pressurewhen the valve it opens and is caused by the pressure of air in "thevalve-chest and piping, which should; when the volume of thevalve-chestand piping up to the pop-valve 36 is forty cubic inches, raise thepressure in the cylinder 0 about fifty pounds, and by means of thisinitialrise in pressure a materially greater pressure may be obtained inthe compressor, which particularly adapts the brake for heavy vehicles,the greater ressure thus obtained being represented in ig. 4 by thelines 0 D E.

The invention is herein shown as applied to an automobile; but it is notdesired to imit the invention in this respect, as it may be applied torailway-cars and other vehicles. So,

also, the brake may be employed in connectidn with any revoluble shaft.

I claim- V 1. The combination with a vehicle pro vided with a rotatableshaft, of an air-compressor carried by said vehicle and provided v withan air-inlet port and with an exhaustport independent of said air-inletport, a piston in said compressor, a reservoir communieating with saidexhaust-port, a valve controlling said air inlet and exhaust ports,mechanismfor operating said piston from said.

shaft, mechanism for operating said valve from said shaft to admitcompressed air from said reservoir into said compressor to obtain aninitial rise in pressure within said compressor, which is increasedby'the movement of said piston in said compressor, and avalve to controlthe exhaust from said reservoir, for

the purpose specified.

-2. The combination with .a vehicle, of a fluid-compressorcarried-thereby and driven from a moving member or part of said vehiwithsaid compressor, a valve controlling communioation between saidreservoir and In testimony whereof I have signed my said compressor andoperated from said movname to this specification in the presence of 10abl; member to admit1 compressed fluid kfrom two'subseribing Witnesses.

sai reservoir into sai com ressor to 0 tain 5an initial rise inpressurev ithin said com- CURTIS BATES GOODE' pressor, and means to control theexhaust of Witnesses:

compressed fluid from said reservoir, substan J AS. H. CHURCHILL,

tia'lly as described. J. MURPHY.

